CN115347891A

CN115347891A - Magnetic key

Info

Publication number: CN115347891A
Application number: CN202110527020.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 徐大山; 萧绍仑; 杨宸; 谢育群
Original assignee: Chongqing Dafang Electronics Co ltd; Darfon Electronics Corp
Current assignee: Chongqing Dafang Electronics Co ltd; Darfon Electronics Corp
Priority date: 2021-05-14
Filing date: 2021-05-14
Publication date: 2022-11-15

Abstract

The invention relates to a magnetic key, which comprises an actuating piece and a switch unit, wherein the actuating piece can move in response to a pressing force; the switch unit comprises a circuit board, a Hall sensor and a magnet; the Hall sensor is electrically connected with the circuit board, and a fixed distance is kept between the magnet and the Hall sensor; when no pressing force is applied, the magnet enables the Hall sensor to generate a first output voltage; when a pressing force is applied, the actuating element moves relative to the magnet and the Hall sensor in response to the pressing force, so that the Hall sensor generates a second output voltage different from the first output voltage, and the magnetic type key generates a trigger signal. The magnetic key of the invention uses the magnet and the Hall sensor as the switch unit, and provides a quick and accurate triggering mechanism by changing the state of the magnetic field between the magnet and the Hall sensor along with the pressing stroke through the actuating piece of any suitable component arranged in the key.

Description

Magnetic key

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a magnetic key, and more particularly, to a magnetic key using hall effect.

Background

In the conventional magnetic type key, the hall sensor senses the change of the magnetic field by the relative movement of the magnet and the hall sensor, so as to generate the trigger signal. However, the conventional magnetic type key is usually a customized design of integrating the magnet into the moving part of the key (e.g. embedded in the shaft), resulting in low sharing performance across models and difficulty in adjusting the magnet level or placement position according to the space or function requirement.

Disclosure of Invention

An objective of the present invention is to provide a magnetic button, which utilizes hall effect to achieve the triggering effect of the button, so as to achieve the advantage of adjustable triggering point.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a magnetic button, which uses a switch unit composed of a magnet and a hall sensor, and changes a magnetic field between the magnet and the hall sensor according to a pressing stroke by an actuating member in the button, so as to provide a quick and precise triggering function.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a magnetic button, wherein the actuating element is used to change the magnetic field between the magnet and the hall sensor, so as to form the magnet into an independent component, which is helpful to select a better combination matching with the hall sensor according to the design requirement, thereby improving the design freedom and being suitable for various button structures.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a magnetic button is provided, including:

an actuating member, which can move in response to a pressing force; and

a switch unit including a circuit board, a Hall sensor and a magnet, wherein the Hall sensor is electrically connected to the circuit board, and a fixed distance is kept between the magnet and the Hall sensor,

when the pressing force is not applied, the magnet enables the Hall sensor to generate a first output voltage; when the pressing force is applied, the actuator moves relative to the magnet and the Hall sensor in response to the pressing force, so that the Hall sensor generates a second output voltage different from the first output voltage, and the magnetic-type key generates a trigger signal.

As an optional technical solution, the electronic device further includes a restoring mechanism disposed above the circuit board, wherein the restoring mechanism includes:

a housing;

the movable shaft is movably arranged on the shell and can move to a non-pressing position and a pressed position in response to the pressing force; and

an elastic member disposed in the housing for restoring the movable shaft to the non-pressed position when the pressing force is removed,

wherein, the actuating piece is arranged on the movable shaft to move together with the movable shaft.

As an optional technical solution, when the movable shaft is located at the non-pressed position, the actuating element is far away from the magnet and the hall sensor; when the movable shaft moves towards the pressing position, the movable shaft drives the actuator to move towards the position between the magnet and the Hall sensor.

As an optional technical solution, the housing is formed by combining an upper housing and a lower housing, the upper housing has a through hole and an upper engaging portion, the movable shaft is movably inserted into the through hole, and the lower housing has a lower engaging portion for engaging with the upper engaging portion, so that the upper housing is connected to the lower housing.

As an optional technical solution, the magnet is disposed on the circuit board or the housing.

As an optional technical solution, the circuit board has a first opening, the first opening is disposed corresponding to the actuator, and when the movable shaft moves toward the pressing position, the movable shaft drives the actuator to move toward between the magnet and the hall sensor and at least partially extend into the first opening.

As an alternative solution, the hall sensor and the magnet are located on the same side or opposite sides relative to the circuit board.

As an optional technical solution, the electronic device further includes a key cap and a supporting mechanism, wherein the supporting mechanism is disposed below the key cap and supports the key cap to move relative to the circuit board, the actuator is disposed on the supporting mechanism, and when the pressing force is applied to the key cap, the key cap drives the supporting mechanism to move, so that the actuator moves relative to the magnet and the hall sensor.

As an optional technical solution, the supporting mechanism includes a first bracket and a movable member, the movable member is coupled to the first bracket, and the actuating member is disposed on the movable member, wherein:

when the pressing force is not applied, the actuating piece is far away from the Hall sensor; and

when the pressing force is applied to the keycap, the first support moves along with the keycap to drive the movable member to move, so that the actuating member moves between the magnet and the hall sensor.

As an optional technical solution, the movable member has a first end and a second end with respect to a rotation axis, and the actuating member is disposed at the second end of the movable member, wherein:

when the pressing force is not applied, the magnet is contacted with the first end of the movable piece and generates a magnetic attraction force to support the keycap at the non-pressing position; and

when the pressing force is applied to the keycap, the movable piece rotates relative to the rotating shaft so that the first end of the movable piece is far away from the magnet, and the actuating piece moves towards the position between the Hall sensor and the magnet along with the rotation of the movable piece.

As an alternative solution, the actuating element is made of a material containing iron, cobalt, nickel or an alloy thereof.

In summary, compared with the prior art, the magnetic button of the present invention uses the magnet and the hall sensor as the switch unit, and the actuator of any suitable component in the button changes the magnetic field state between the magnet and the hall sensor along with the pressing stroke, so as to provide a fast and precise triggering mechanism. In addition, the magnetic key of the invention separates the magnet and other parts of the key, thereby improving the design freedom and being applicable to various key structures.

The invention is described in detail below with reference to the drawings and specific examples, but the invention is not limited thereto.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a magnetic key according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the magnetic button in fig. 1 in an un-pressed state.

Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the magnetic button in fig. 1 in a pressed state.

Fig. 4 is an exploded view of a magnetic key according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the magnetic key shown in fig. 4 in an un-pressed state.

Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the magnetic button in fig. 4 in a pressed state.

Fig. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a magnetic key according to a third embodiment of the present invention in an un-pressed state.

Fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the magnetic key shown in fig. 7 in a pressed state.

Detailed Description

The invention provides a magnetic type key, which changes a magnetic field between a magnet and a Hall sensor by an actuating piece, thereby providing a triggering mechanism utilizing the Hall effect. The magnetic key of the invention can be applied to any press type input device (such as a keyboard) or integrated in any suitable electronic device (such as a press key of a portable electronic device or a keyboard of a notebook computer) so as to form the magnet into an independent part, which is beneficial to selecting a better combination matched with the Hall sensor according to the design requirement, improves the design freedom degree and is suitable for various key structures. The structure and operation of each element of the magnetic key according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a magnetic key 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the magnetic key 100 in fig. 1 in an un-pressed state. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the magnetic key 100 in fig. 1 in a pressed state. As shown in fig. 1 to 3, in an embodiment, the magnetic button 100 of the present invention includes an actuating member 140 and a switch unit 170. Actuator 140 is movable in response to the pressing force. The switch unit 170 includes a circuit board 172, a hall sensor 174, and a magnet 176. The hall sensor 174 is electrically connected to the circuit board 172, and the magnet 176 is kept at a fixed distance from the hall sensor 174. When no pressing force is applied, the magnet 176 causes the hall sensor 174 to generate a first output voltage. When a pressing force is applied, the actuator 140 moves relative to the magnet 176 and the hall sensor 174 in response to the pressing force, so that the hall sensor 174 generates a second output voltage different from the first output voltage, and the magnetic-type button 100 generates a trigger signal.

Specifically, the magnet 176 may generate a magnetic field, and the hall sensor 174 is a sensor that senses the presence and strength of the magnetic field using the hall effect, and the output voltage of the hall sensor 174 is proportional to the strength of the magnetic field. The hall sensor 174 and the magnet 176 may be located on the same side or opposite sides with respect to the circuit board 172, and the fixed distance between the magnet 176 and the hall sensor 174 may be a default distance at which the hall sensor 174 can output a default voltage (e.g., a first output voltage) when the magnetic button 100 is in an un-pressed state. In other words, the fixed distance between the magnet 176 and the hall sensor 174 can be any suitable distance at which the hall sensor 174 can sense the presence of the magnetic field of the magnet 176 and have a certain degree of strength. The fixed distance may be determined based on the grade of the magnet 176, the sensitivity of the hall sensor 174, and a predetermined trigger stroke.

Actuator 140 is preferably disposed on any suitable movable component of the key, such as movable shaft 130 of return mechanism 101 of FIG. 1, or a component of the support mechanism of FIGS. 4 and 7 (described in more detail below), such that actuator 140 is movable relative to Hall sensor 174 and magnet 176 in response to a pressing force applied by a user. Actuator 140 is preferably made of a material that affects the magnetic field between magnet 176 and hall sensor 174 such that movement of actuator 140 relative to magnet 176 and hall sensor 174 causes hall sensor 174 to generate a different output voltage. For example, actuator 140 is preferably made of a material containing iron, cobalt, nickel or alloys thereof (e.g., iron/manganese/zinc alloy, iron/nickel/zinc alloy, etc.), and can be connected with the movable member of the key by various joining methods (e.g., adhesion, engagement, locking, etc.), but not limited thereto. In another embodiment, when the movable part of the key is formed by injection molding, a material having magnetic permeability (e.g., iron, cobalt, nickel, or an alloy thereof) may be doped at a corresponding position of the actuator 140, so that the movable part of the key and the actuator 140 are integrally molded, and the actuator 140 is a composite material including the magnetic permeability material and plastic.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, in the first embodiment, the magnetic button 100 further includes a restoring mechanism 101 for restoring the magnetic button 100 to an un-pressed state after being pressed. Specifically, the restoring mechanism 101 is disposed above the circuit board 172, and the restoring mechanism 101 includes a housing 102, a movable shaft 130, and an elastic member 150. In this embodiment, the actuator 140 is disposed on the movable shaft 130 to move together with the movable shaft 130, and the hall sensor 174 is disposed below the circuit board 172 and electrically connected to the switch circuit of the circuit board 172, i.e., the hall sensor 174 and the housing 102 are disposed on two opposite sides of the circuit board 172. Depending on the application, the magnet 176 may be disposed on the circuit board 172 or the housing 102 and keep the fixed distance from the hall sensor 174. For example, the magnet 176 may be positioned on the circuit board 172 or on the housing 102 by adhesion, snap fit, or any suitable positioning mechanism to maintain a fixed distance between the magnet 176 and the hall sensor 174. In this embodiment, the hall sensor 174 and the magnet 176 are located on opposite sides of the circuit board 172, such as the hall sensor 174 is below the circuit board 172 and the magnet 176 is above the circuit board 172, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the hall sensor 174 and the magnet 176 may be located on the same side of the circuit board 172, such as both below the circuit board 172 or both above the circuit board 172, depending on the application.

The movable shaft 130 is movably disposed on the housing 102, and in response to the pressing force, the movable shaft 130 is movable between an unpressed position and a pressed position. The elastic member 150 is disposed in the housing 102, and when the pressing force is removed, the elastic member 150 returns the movable shaft 130 to the non-pressed position. Specifically, the housing 102 is formed by joining an upper housing 110 and a lower housing 120. The upper housing 110 has a through hole 112 and an upper engaging portion 114. The movable shaft 130 is movably inserted in the through hole 112. The lower housing 120 has a lower engaging portion 122 for engaging with the upper engaging portion 114, so that the upper housing 110 is connected to the lower housing 120. The lower housing 120 is preferably a base extending along the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions, and the upper housing 110 is a cover corresponding to the lower housing 120. The lower housing 120 is preferably combined with the upper housing 110 to form the housing 102 having a receiving space therein for receiving, for example, the elastic member 150. For example, the lower housing 120 may have a snap-in lower engaging portion 122, and the upper housing 110 has a snap-in upper engaging portion 114, such that the lower housing 120 and the upper housing 110 are mutually snapped in by the snap-in and the snap-in along the Z-axis direction. The through hole 112 of the upper housing 110 preferably corresponds to the shape of the top of the movable shaft 130, such that the movable shaft 130 can movably pass through the through hole 112 of the upper housing 110 from the lower side of the upper housing 110, and the top of the movable shaft 130 protrudes out of the through hole 112. For example, the movable shaft 130 is preferably a cylindrical cap, and the actuator 140 preferably protrudes from a lower end of the cylindrical cap. In addition, the movable shaft 130 may have a position-limiting portion 132 and an engaging portion 136. The stopper 132 is preferably disposed at the lower periphery of the cylindrical cap, and the engaging portion 136 is preferably disposed at the top of the movable shaft 130.

The actuator 140 is disposed corresponding to the switch unit 170, and the actuator 140 is preferably a cylinder protruding downward from the center of the bottom of the cylinder cap for triggering the switch unit 170 to generate a trigger signal. Specifically, the projection of actuator 140 onto circuit board 172 is preferably located between the positions of magnet 176 and hall sensor 174, such that movement (e.g., proximity) of actuator 140 relative to magnet 176 and hall sensor 174 causes hall sensor 174 to generate different output voltages. As described above, actuators 140 may be components attached or coupled to movable shaft 130 using various engagement methods (e.g., adhesive, snap, lock, etc.), or actuators 140 may be integral components of movable shaft 130 using injection-doping. The shape of actuators 140 may be selected based on the application, such as columns, plates, blocks, or any convenient shape. The position-limiting portions 132 are preferably cylinders protruding radially from both sides of the movable shaft 130, such that the distance between the two ends of the cylinders is greater than the diameter of the through hole 112 of the upper housing 110, thereby preventing the movable shaft 130 from being separated from the upper housing 110 when moving relative to the lower housing 120. The joint 136 may be, for example, a cross-shaped engaging column formed on the top of the movable shaft 130 for engaging with a key cap (not shown), but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the engaging portion 136 may have other forms (e.g., engaging holes) for engaging with the keycap.

In this embodiment, the elastic element 150 is preferably a spring, and the lower housing 120 has a positioning seat 124, so that the elastic element 150 can be positioned at the positioning seat 124. For example, the positioning seat 124 is an annular cylinder extending from the bottom of the lower housing 120 to the upper housing 110, such that one end of the spring (i.e., the elastic element 150) can be sleeved outside the positioning seat 124, and the actuator 140 connected to the bottom of the movable shaft 130 is inserted into the channel 126 surrounded by the annular cylinder, such that the other end of the spring abuts against the bottom of the movable shaft 130, and the top of the movable shaft 130 protrudes from the through hole 112 of the upper housing 110. Thus, when a pressing force is applied, the movable shaft 130 drives the actuator 140 to move toward the lower housing 120, and the spring is compressed, and when the pressing force is released, the spring provides an elastic restoring force to make the movable shaft 130 drive the actuator 140 (and the key cap) to move in a direction away from the lower housing 120 to a position before pressing.

In addition, in one embodiment, the magnetic key 100 may optionally include a hand feeling elastic member 160 to provide a pressing hand feeling. In this embodiment, the elastic feeling component 160 is disposed in the housing 102 and includes a positioning portion 164 and an extension arm 166. The extension arm 166 extends corresponding to the actuating portion 134 (described later), and the positioning portion 164 is positioned on the lower housing 120. Specifically, the feel elastic 160 may be implemented as a torsion spring. The positioning portion 164 and the extension arm 166 extend from opposite ends of the torsion spring. For example, the positioning portion 164 and the extension arm 166 are rod bodies extending from two opposite ends of the torsion spring body 162, and an included angle between the extending directions of the two rod bodies is preferably not greater than 120 degrees. The movable shaft 130 may have an actuating portion 134 corresponding to the disposition of the feel elastic member 160. The actuating portion 134 may be disposed at the lower periphery of the cylindrical cap, and the limiting portion 132 may be disposed along the lower periphery of the cylindrical cap. For example, the actuating portion 134 may include an angled protrusion extending downward such that when a pressing force is applied, the actuating portion 134 may interact with the extending arm 166 of the elastic tactile member 160 to provide tactile feedback when pressed.

The operation of the magnetic key 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 2 and 3. As shown in fig. 2, when a pressing force is not applied (e.g., the key cap is not pressed), the hall sensor 174 senses the presence of the magnetic field of the magnet 176 and generates a first output voltage corresponding to the sensed magnetic field strength. For example, when the movable shaft 130 is in the non-pressed position, the actuator 140 is away from the magnet 176 and the hall sensor 174, such that the actuator 140 has a small (or predetermined) effect or even no effect on the magnetic field of the magnet 176, and the hall sensor 174 generates the first output voltage. As shown in fig. 3, when a pressing force is applied (e.g., when the key cap is pressed), the movable shaft 130 moves to the pressed position, and the movable shaft 130 drives the actuator 140 to move between the magnet 176 and the hall sensor 174, so that the hall sensor 174 generates a second output voltage. Specifically, the actuator 140 moves downward along the channel 126 of the lower housing 120 toward the hall sensor 174 and the magnet 176 to a position where the magnetic field of the magnet 176 is affected, so that the hall sensor 174 senses the change of the magnetic field to generate the second output voltage. In this embodiment, since the actuator 140 is preferably made of a magnetic conductive material, so that the actuator 140 forms a shielding effect between the magnet 176 and the hall sensor 174, the second output voltage generated by the hall sensor 174 is smaller than the first output voltage. The magnetic button 100 can generate a trigger signal according to the variation of the output voltage generated by the hall sensor 174. From another perspective, the shielding effect is better as actuator 140 moves downward closer to magnet 176 and hall sensor 174, such that the output voltage generated by hall sensor 174 becomes smaller as actuator 140 moves downward. Therefore, the magnetic button 100 can set the trigger point by the difference between the first output voltage and the second output voltage generated by the hall sensor 174, for example, the greater the difference, the longer the moving stroke of the actuator 140 is, the later the trigger is, and the advantage of adjusting the trigger stroke according to the practical application can be achieved.

Furthermore, as shown in fig. 3, the circuit board 172 may have a first opening 172a, and the first opening 172a is disposed corresponding to the actuator 140. When the movable shaft 130 moves toward the pressed position, the movable shaft 130 drives the actuating member 140 to move between the magnet 176 and the hall sensor 174 and at least partially extend into the first opening 172a, so as to increase the downward movement stroke of the actuating member 140, and facilitate the thinning design of the key, but not limited thereto. Depending on the application, the circuit board 172 may not have the first opening 172a for the actuator 140 to extend into.

Fig. 4 is an exploded view of a magnetic button 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the magnetic button 200 in fig. 4 in an un-pressed state. Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the magnetic button 200 in fig. 4 in a pressed state. As shown in fig. 4, in the second embodiment, in addition to the switch unit 270 (i.e. the circuit board 272, the hall sensor 274 and the magnet 276), the magnetic-type key 200 further includes a key cap 210 and a supporting mechanism 230, and the actuating member 240 is disposed on the supporting mechanism 230 (e.g. the first support 232). The switch unit 270 of fig. 4 has a similar structure and function to the switch unit 270 of fig. 1, and thus reference may be made to the related description of fig. 1, which is not repeated herein. In this embodiment, the supporting mechanism 230 is disposed under the key cap 210 and supports the key cap 210 to move relative to the circuit board 272, and the actuator 240 is disposed on the supporting mechanism 230 to move together with the supporting mechanism 230. When a pressing force is applied to the key cap 210, the key cap 210 drives the supporting mechanism 230 to move, so that the actuator 240 moves relative to the magnet 276 and the hall sensor 274. In addition, the magnetic button 200 further includes a bottom plate 280 for enhancing the supporting strength of the button. The bottom plate 280 may be located above or below (in this embodiment, below) the circuit board 272, and the supporting mechanism 230 may be movably coupled to the bottom plate 280 and the key cap 210, but not limited thereto. When the supporting strength of the circuit board 272 is sufficient, the bottom plate 280 is not required for the magnetic-type key 200, and the supporting mechanism 230 is movably coupled to the circuit board 272 and the key cap 210.

Specifically, the supporting mechanism 230 includes a first bracket 232 and a second bracket 234, and the first bracket 232 is pivoted to the inner side of the second bracket 234 to form a scissor-type supporting mechanism. The first and

second brackets

232, 234 are preferably rectangular frames, such as injection molded frames, and the first and

second brackets

232, 234 may be rotatably connected by a pivot and shaft hole mechanism, for example. The opposite ends of the first and

second supports

232 and 234 are movably coupled to the key cap 210 and the bottom plate 280, respectively, so as to stably support the key cap 210 to move relative to the bottom plate 280. For example, the first key cap end 232a of the first support 232 is rotatably connected to the first coupling member 212 of the key cap 210, and the first base plate end 232b of the first support 232 is movably connected to the first connecting member 282 of the base plate 280. Similarly, the second key cap end 234a of the second support 234 is movably connected to the second coupling member 214 of the key cap 210, and the second base plate end 234b of the second support 234 is movably connected to the second connection member 284 of the base plate 280. Thereby, the supporting mechanism 230 can smoothly support the keycap 210 to move up and down relative to the bottom plate 280 (or the circuit board 272).

In this embodiment, the actuator 240 is disposed inside the first frame 232. The actuator 240 may be a protrusion extending from the first frame 232 toward the inner side thereof, and is preferably disposed at the inner side of the keycap end 232a of the first frame 232. The actuator 240 is preferably an L-shaped boss. Similar to the above embodiments, the actuator 240 is preferably made of a material that affects the magnetic field between the magnet 276 and the hall sensor 274 such that movement of the actuator 240 relative to the magnet 276 and the hall sensor 274 causes the hall sensor 274 to generate different output voltages. The actuating element 240 is preferably made of a material containing iron, cobalt, nickel or an alloy thereof (e.g., iron/manganese/zinc alloy, iron/nickel/zinc alloy, etc.), and can be connected to the first bracket 232 by various joining methods (e.g., adhesion, clamping, locking, etc.), or can be doped with a material having magnetic permeability (e.g., iron, cobalt, nickel or an alloy thereof) by injection molding, such that the first bracket 232 and the actuating element 240 are integrally formed, and the actuating element 240 is a composite material containing a magnetic permeability material and a plastic.

The circuit board 272 is preferably disposed on the base plate 280, and the circuit board 272 has a second opening 272b for allowing the first connector 282 and the second connector 284 of the base plate 280 to pass through and connect to the supporting mechanism 230. The magnet 276 and the hall sensor 274 are disposed on the circuit board 272 and maintain a fixed distance. For example, the circuit board 272 may have an avoiding groove 272a (i.e., an opening), and the magnet 276 and the hall sensor 274 are disposed on opposite sides of the avoiding groove 272a. In addition, the magnetic button 200 further includes a restoring mechanism 220 for restoring the magnetic button 200 to an un-pressed state after being pressed. In this embodiment, the restoring mechanism 220 may include a movable shaft 222, a housing 224 and an elastic member 226 (shown in fig. 5), and the structure and function thereof may refer to the related description of the restoring mechanism 101 of fig. 1. The difference between the restoring mechanism 101 in fig. 1 and the restoring mechanism 220 in fig. 4 is that the movable shaft 222 of the restoring mechanism 220 in fig. 4 is not provided with an actuating component (e.g., the actuating component 140 in fig. 1), and may not have a hand-feeling elastic component (e.g., the hand-feeling elastic component 160 in fig. 1), so that the movable shaft 222 may also have no actuating portion (e.g., the actuating portion 134 in fig. 1). In addition, the restoring mechanism 220 of fig. 4 may have other aspects, which are not limited to the illustration. For example, in other embodiments, the restoring mechanism 220 of fig. 4 can be replaced by an elastic body (rubber dome), a magnetic member, etc. to provide a restoring force for restoring the keycap 210 to the non-pressed position, depending on the application.

The operation of the magnetic key 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 5 and 6. As shown in FIG. 5, when no pressing force is applied (e.g., key cap 210 is not pressed), actuator 240 moves away from Hall sensor 274 such that Hall sensor 274 senses the presence of the magnetic field of magnet 276 and generates a first output voltage corresponding to the sensed magnetic field strength. That is, when no pressing force is applied, the actuator 240 is disposed corresponding to the channel 228 of the housing 224, and the channel 228 of the housing 224 is aligned with the escape groove 272a of the circuit board 272, so that the actuator 240 has little (or no) influence or even no influence on the magnetic field of the magnet 276, and the hall sensor 274 generates the first output voltage. As shown in fig. 6, when a pressing force is applied (for example, when a pressing force is applied to the key cap 210), the key cap 210 presses against the movable shaft 222 to compress the elastic member 226, and the first support 232 and the second support 234 move along with the key cap 210 to drive the actuator 240 to move downward between the magnet 276 and the hall sensor 274, so that the hall sensor 274 generates a second output voltage. In other words, the actuator 240 moves downward toward the hall sensor 274 and the magnet 276 to a position where the magnetic field of the magnet 276 is affected (for example, the actuator 240 is at least partially located on the virtual connection line between the magnet 276 and the hall sensor 274), so that the hall sensor 274 senses the change of the magnetic field to generate a second output voltage, for example, smaller than the first output voltage, and further the magnetic-type key 200 generates the trigger signal. Similarly, when the actuator 240 moves downward between the magnet 276 and the hall sensor 274, the actuator 240 may at least partially extend into the escape slot 272a of the circuit board 272.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a magnetic button 300 according to a third embodiment of the present invention in an un-pressed state. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the magnetic key 300 of fig. 7 in a pressed state. As shown in fig. 7, in the third embodiment, in addition to the switch unit 370 (i.e. the circuit board 372, the hall sensor 374 and the magnet 376), the magnetic key 300 further includes a key cap 310 and a supporting mechanism 320, and the actuating member 340 is disposed on a component (e.g. the movable member 330) of the supporting mechanism 320. The switch unit 370 in fig. 7 has a similar structure and function to the switch unit 170 in fig. 1, so that reference can be made to the related description of fig. 1, and further description is omitted here. In this embodiment, support mechanism 320 is disposed under keycap 310 and supports keycap 310 for movement relative to circuit board 372. The supporting mechanism 320 includes at least one bracket (e.g., two brackets, i.e., a first bracket 322 and a second bracket 324), and a movable member 330, and the movable member 330 is coupled to the two brackets (e.g., the first bracket 322 and the second bracket 324). In this embodiment, the actuating member 340 is disposed on the moving member 330 of the supporting mechanism 320, and when no pressing force is applied, the actuating member 340 is away from the hall sensor 374, and when a pressing force is applied to the key cap 310, the two brackets (e.g., the first bracket 322 and the second bracket 324) move along with the key cap 310 to drive the moving member 330 to move, so that the actuating member 340 moves between the magnet 376 and the hall sensor 374.

In addition, the magnetic button 300 further includes a bottom plate 380 for enhancing the supporting strength of the button. The base plate 380 is disposed above or below (in this embodiment, above) the circuit board 372, and the supporting mechanism 330 is movably coupled to the base plate 380 and the key cap 310, but not limited thereto. When the supporting strength of the circuit board 372 is sufficient, the bottom plate 380 may not be required for the magnetic-type key 300, and the supporting mechanism 330 is movably coupled to the circuit board 372 and the key cap 310.

Specifically, the supporting mechanism 320 includes a first support 322 and a second support 324, and the first support 322 and the second support 324 are respectively located at two opposite sides of the key cap 310. Opposite ends of the first and

second supports

322 and 324 are movably coupled to the key cap 310 and the bottom plate 380, respectively, thereby forming a butterfly wing type supporting mechanism for stably supporting the key cap 310 to move relative to the bottom plate 380. The magnet 376 is disposed between the first bracket 322 and the second bracket 324, and the magnet 376 may be located on the bottom plate 380 or protrude from an opening of the bottom plate 380 and be positioned on the bottom plate 380 by a positioning mechanism. The movable element 330 is disposed corresponding to the magnet 376, and the movable element 330 is coupled to the first bracket 322 and rotatably engaged with the second bracket 324. Specifically, the movable member 330 has a first end 332 and a second end 334 relative to the rotating shaft 330a, i.e., the first end 332 is closer to the first bracket 332 than the rotating shaft 330a, and the second end 334 is farther from the first bracket 332 than the rotating shaft 330 a. The first end 332 of the movable member 330 is coupled to the first bracket 322, such that the movable member 330 contacts the magnet 376 and generates a magnetic attraction force to support the key cap 310 at the non-pressed position. An actuating member 340 is disposed at the second end 334 of the moveable member 330, such that the actuating member 340 extends downwardly from the second end 334 of the moveable member 330 toward the base 380 and moves upwardly and downwardly as the moveable member 330 rotates.

The operation of the magnetic button according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 7 and 8. As shown in fig. 7, when no pressing force is applied (e.g., key cap 310 is not pressed), actuator 240 moves away from hall sensor 374 such that hall sensor 374 senses the presence of the magnetic field of magnet 376 and generates a first output voltage corresponding to the sensed magnetic field strength. That is, when no pressing force is applied, the magnet 376 contacts the first end 332 of the movable member 330 and generates a magnetic attraction force to support the key cap 310 at the non-pressed position, such that the actuator 340 is away from the hall sensor 374 and the magnet 376, and has little (or no) influence or even no influence on the magnetic field of the magnet 376, such that the hall sensor 374 generates the first output voltage. As shown in fig. 8, when a pressing force is applied (for example, when the pressing force is applied to the key cap 310), the first bracket 322 and the second bracket 324 move along with the key cap 310 to drive the movable element 330 to move, so that the actuating element 340 moves between the magnet 376 and the hall sensor 374, and the hall sensor 374 generates a second output voltage. Specifically, when the key cap 310 is pressed, the first bracket 322 rotates along with the downward movement of the key cap 310, such that the first bracket 322 lifts the first end 332 of the movable element 330 upward (e.g., the movable element 330 rotates counterclockwise around the rotating shaft 330a, such that the first end 332 of the movable element 330 is away from the magnet 376), and the actuating element 340 disposed at the second end 334 of the movable element 330 moves toward between the hall sensor 374 and the magnet 376 (i.e., moves downward) along with the rotation of the movable element 330. In other words, the actuator 340 moves downward toward the hall sensor 374 and the magnet 376 to a position that affects the magnetic field of the magnet 376, such that the hall sensor 374 senses the change of the magnetic field to generate a second output voltage, for example, smaller than the first output voltage. Similarly, the circuit board 374 and the bottom plate 380 may have a first opening 372a and a third opening 382, respectively, and the first opening 372a and the third opening 382 communicate with each other. When the first end 332 of the movable member 330 rotates in a direction away from the magnet 376, the movable member 330 drives the actuating member 340 to move between the magnet 376 and the hall sensor 374 and at least partially extend into the third opening 382 and further extend into the first opening 372a.

The magnetic button of the invention uses the magnet and the Hall sensor as the switch unit, and the actuating piece of any suitable component arranged in the button changes the magnetic field state between the magnet and the Hall sensor along with the pressing stroke to provide a quick and accurate triggering mechanism, and the magnet is separated from other components of the button, thereby not only improving the combination elasticity between the magnet and the Hall sensor, but also improving the design freedom and being applicable to various button structures.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and all equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the claims of the present invention should be covered by the present invention.

Claims

1. A magnetic key, comprising:

an actuating member, which can move in response to a pressing force; and

2. The magnetic key of claim 1, further comprising a restoring mechanism disposed above the circuit board, wherein the restoring mechanism comprises:

a housing;

the movable shaft is movably arranged on the shell and can move between an unpressed position and a pressed position in response to the pressing force; and

3. The magnetic button of claim 2, wherein when the movable shaft is in the non-pressed position, the actuating member is away from the magnet and the hall sensor; when the movable shaft moves towards the pressing position, the movable shaft drives the actuator to move towards the position between the magnet and the Hall sensor.

4. The magnetic button of claim 2, wherein the housing is formed by combining an upper housing and a lower housing, the upper housing has a through hole and an upper engaging portion, the movable shaft is movably inserted into the through hole, and the lower housing has a lower engaging portion for engaging with the upper engaging portion to connect the upper housing with the lower housing.

5. The magnetic key of claim 2, wherein the magnet is disposed on the circuit board or the housing.

6. The magnetic key of claim 2, wherein the circuit board has a first opening, the first opening is disposed corresponding to the actuator, and when the movable shaft moves toward the pressing position, the movable shaft drives the actuator to move toward between the magnet and the hall sensor and at least partially extend into the first opening.

7. The magnetic button of claim 2, wherein the Hall sensor and the magnet are located on the same side or opposite sides of the circuit board.

8. The magnetic button of claim 1, further comprising a key cap and a supporting mechanism, wherein the supporting mechanism is disposed under the key cap and supports the key cap to move relative to the circuit board, the actuator is disposed on the supporting mechanism, and when the pressing force is applied to the key cap, the key cap drives the supporting mechanism to move, so that the actuator moves relative to the magnet and the hall sensor.

9. The magnetic button of claim 8, wherein the supporting mechanism comprises a first bracket and a movable member, the movable member is coupled to the first bracket, and the actuating member is disposed on the movable member, wherein:

10. A magnetic key according to claim 9, wherein the movable member has a first end and a second end with respect to a rotation axis, and the actuating member is disposed at the second end of the movable member, wherein:

11. A magnetic key according to claim 1, wherein said actuator is made of a material containing iron, cobalt, nickel or alloys thereof.